-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- A sailor has described her `` miraculous '' escape after a whale leapt out of the water and crash-landed on the deck of her boat off the coast of South Africa .

Paloma Werner , 50 , of the Cape Town Sailing Academy , and her partner Ralph Mothes had been watching the whale from a distance in Table Bay , near Cape Town harbor , when it moved toward their 10-meter vessel and breached 20 meters away .

Southern right whales are a common sight in Cape Town waters during the breeding season from June to November , drawing whale watchers to the region . Werner said the couple -- both experienced sailors -- expected the creature to go under the boat before re-emerging on the other side .

`` I looked around and I saw this huge whale coming out of the water and smashing against the side of the boat , '' Werner told CNN . `` The whale slipped back into the water but we just saw the mast with all its rigging and everything flying towards us , and that was scary , actually . ''

Werner said Mothes ducked behind the steering wheel which bore the impact of the mast . And while the masts need replacing , Werner said the steel structure of the boat was undamaged . `` Miraculously nothing happened to us , '' she added .

A tourist on a nearby boat captured the moment when the whale breached out of the water on camera .

Werner said she had spoken to a local marine mammal expert who had told her that the incident was a `` freak accident . '' Because the couple had been sailing without the engine on , the whale had failed to hear them , she said .

`` It was a young southern right whale and he was just having fun . They have very poor eyesight and obviously if they 're breaching visibility is very poor . The whale did not intend to attack us , it just did not hear us . ''

Whale experts have taken DNA samples from blubber left on the deck to see whether they have any existing records on the animal .

Werner said the whale appeared to be unhurt by the experience : `` We saw it afterwards and there was no blood or anything . I think for a whale it was just a scratch and a bump . ''

In future , the couple would make sure they had the engine on while sailing during whale season , she added .

`` We were just going out sailing because it was an awesome day . Obviously it 's a bonus if you see a whale but we did n't quite count on having one on top of the boat . ''

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Southern right whale lands on sailing boat in `` freak accident ''

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South African couple both unhurt but vessel 's mast , rigging smashed

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Whales have poor eyesight and did n't hear boat sailing without engine

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Whale appeared unhurt , other than a `` scratch and a bump ''